DALY IS BANG ON FORM WITH DAN RIORDAN CUP VICTORY 

Gary Daly won the Dan Riordan Cup in Bantry, defeating two-time holder Arthur McDonagh by a bowl of odds in a €6,100-a-side final.
Daly produced several huge bowls to take control and seal a comfortable win, continuing strong form after beating top players recently.
Elsewhere, Darragh Dempsey won his premier junior championship opener, while Andrew O’Leary knocked out reigning veteran champion P.J. Cooney.

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Arthur McDonagh’s reign as the Dan Riordan Cup holder came to an end at Bantry on Sunday when Gary Daly took the honours by a bowl of odds for a stake of €6,100 a-side. McDonagh a holder of this Cup for the previous two tournaments started the hot favourite in this final. McDonagh opened with two poor bowls in this score going almost a bowl of odds down. Daly raised the bowl with a huge third to McSweeney’s farm. Three more very well played bowls to Cronin’s bend for Daly but McDonagh was keeping the pressure on. McDonagh got a huge bowl past the cattle crush that Daly missed to knock the bowl of odds briefly but he recovered well with two excellent shots past the junior line to raise a bowl of odds again. Daly went up past Connolly’s wall full sight in two more, McDonagh made no line and Daly was an easy winner. Having beaten a few of the big players in recent weeks in James O’Donovan, Aidan Murphy and now Arthur McDonagh, its sets him up nicely for a good senior championship campaign.

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Ballinacurra held a junior a tournament score between Johnny O’Driscoll and back from injury Noel O’Regan for a stake of €1,850 as. O’Driscoll opened with a huge first shot, and increased his lead to two bowls at the waterworks. He held this lead past Perrot’s. O’Regan had it under the two bowls at the GAA entrance and after three more out sight for the straight O’Regan had it under the bowl. O’Regan got a huge bowl up to the avenue. O’Driscoll missed sight for the line and O’Regan with another perfect shot went full sight, O’Driscoll made a bad blunder here and gave O’Regan his first lead with a shot to go. O’Driscoll’s last pulled mad left and just beat the finish line and O’Regan beat this tip independently.

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DARRAGH DEMPSEY WINS HIS OPENING PREMIER JUNIOR SCORE

Darragh Dempsey got his premier junior a championship off to a winning start when he beat Liam Murphy by two bowls of odds at Derrinasaffa playing for a stake of €1,120 a-side. Dempsey made the bridge in four well played bowls where he had a bowl of odds, Murphy was unlucky to miss out Nattie’s bend when his bowl was accidently blocked by a car. Dempsey made Cotters cross in two more and up the Darkwood turn in two more raising odds now with every shot. Two more well played bowls to Walsh’s lane for Dempsey where his odds was now almost two bowls, and after two more to Hon Grady’s the two bowls were up and Murphy conceded.

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Ted Hegarty’s tournaments at the Phale Road are coming to a conclusion, three finals were down for decision last weekend, first up was the boy’s under 14 between Tommy Coppinger, Jack Allen and Fionán Twohig, nothing between them after two out the first bend. From here to the triangle Coppinger was playing for a left hand pull that did not work out for him and Allen and Twohig had over a bowl on him at the triangle. From here to O’Driscoll pillars Allen got a succession of poor bowls and Twohig had thirty meters for the last shots. Allen put down a good last bowl but it was not enough on this occasion and Twohig beat it well. In the boy’s U-16 Culann Bourke from North Cork was a trap to line winner over Ethan Hurley, West Cork and in the final score of the day the boy’s U-12 Jayden Crowley also North Cork beat Darragh Gleeson from the Carbery region.

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COONEY BOWS OUT OF VETERAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Last years County and All-Ireland Veteran winner P.J. Cooney bowed out of this years championship to Andrew O'Leary at Curraheen. O'Leary was on top of his game in this encounter. At Ryan's he had a bowl of odds, Cooney playing with no luck found himself almost two bowls down when his bowl got stuck in a pole. O'Leary made the bridge in six top class shots where he raised the second bowl. He then powered up the hill to close out the contest.